AS 2018 Explore the view that ‘The suffering of
tragic victims is as painful to watch as the
suffering of the tragic heroes themselves.ʼ
2018
Explore the view that ‘The suffering of tragic victims is as painful to watch as the suffering of
the tragic heroes themselves.ʼ Remember to include in your answer relevant comment on
dramatic methods. [25 marks]
The suffering of Tess.
The suffering of Prince and the death of the birds.
The suffering of Willy Loman.
The suffering of Biff, Happy, and Linda.
Typical to tragedy texts, Death of a Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles incorporate a common
tragic theme of tragedies having many victims. This was popularised by Shakespeare who
introduced the idea of collateral damage to his plays so that they became more interactive,
causing the audiences to wonder what the effects of the tragedy will be on the numerous tragic
victims involved. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent the ‘suffering of tragic
victims is as painful to watch as the suffering of the tragic heroes themselvesʼ.
To one correspondent after publishing Hardy stated that “I, too lost my heart to (Tess) as I went
on with her history”, and as readers of the novel we cannot help feeling the same which only
amplifies the tragic heroes suffering. The bildungsroman narrative which is almost biographical
in nature presents the reader with the unfolding of a brutal plot where we are tormented by the
shades of alternative lives Tess could have lived preventing her suffering. Any sources of
happiness which arise within her life appear to be crushed and diminished instantly making the
reference to a “blighted star” in Chapter IV appear very realistic to her circumstance. However,
her happiness in ‘The Rallyʼ can arguably be what causes her suffering to become so much
more profound. In the height of summer Tess and Angel build up an idyllic and Edenic love
removing all class and socio-economical boundaries attempting to find rejuvenation within the
pastoral world around them. The characters idealisation of each other becomes obvious as
Angel views Tess as a pure and honest “daughter of the soil” comparing her to Artemis and
Demeter. Tess views Angel as being a lot more forgiving and open minded than he actually is.
This peak of happiness is therefore what makes Tessʼs suffering so immense and incomparable
to anything else in the novel. As she tells Angel of her history, and he hypocritically cannot draw
any parallels between his personal sexual experiences and hers although she was “more sinned
against than sinning”. Angel seems to betray not only Tess but the reader also. His rejection of
the church and Cambridge due to the intellectual obstructions he views them to be, simply
seems like an act now that he reverts back to Puritanical purity standards of the time stating to
Tess that “the woman I have been loving is not you” demonstrating his ultimate rejection of her.
tragic victims is as painful to watch as the
suffering of the tragic heroes themselves.ʼ
2018
Explore the view that ‘The suffering of tragic victims is as painful to watch as the suffering of
the tragic heroes themselves.ʼ Remember to include in your answer relevant comment on
dramatic methods. [25 marks]
The suffering of Tess.
The suffering of Prince and the death of the birds.
The suffering of Willy Loman.
The suffering of Biff, Happy, and Linda.
Typical to tragedy texts, Death of a Salesman and Tess of DʼUrbervilles incorporate a common
tragic theme of tragedies having many victims. This was popularised by Shakespeare who
introduced the idea of collateral damage to his plays so that they became more interactive,
causing the audiences to wonder what the effects of the tragedy will be on the numerous tragic
victims involved. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent the ‘suffering of tragic
victims is as painful to watch as the suffering of the tragic heroes themselvesʼ.
To one correspondent after publishing Hardy stated that “I, too lost my heart to (Tess) as I went
on with her history”, and as readers of the novel we cannot help feeling the same which only
amplifies the tragic heroes suffering. The bildungsroman narrative which is almost biographical
in nature presents the reader with the unfolding of a brutal plot where we are tormented by the
shades of alternative lives Tess could have lived preventing her suffering. Any sources of
happiness which arise within her life appear to be crushed and diminished instantly making the
reference to a “blighted star” in Chapter IV appear very realistic to her circumstance. However,
her happiness in ‘The Rallyʼ can arguably be what causes her suffering to become so much
more profound. In the height of summer Tess and Angel build up an idyllic and Edenic love
removing all class and socio-economical boundaries attempting to find rejuvenation within the
pastoral world around them. The characters idealisation of each other becomes obvious as
Angel views Tess as a pure and honest “daughter of the soil” comparing her to Artemis and
Demeter. Tess views Angel as being a lot more forgiving and open minded than he actually is.
This peak of happiness is therefore what makes Tessʼs suffering so immense and incomparable
to anything else in the novel. As she tells Angel of her history, and he hypocritically cannot draw
any parallels between his personal sexual experiences and hers although she was “more sinned
against than sinning”. Angel seems to betray not only Tess but the reader also. His rejection of
the church and Cambridge due to the intellectual obstructions he views them to be, simply
seems like an act now that he reverts back to Puritanical purity standards of the time stating to
Tess that “the woman I have been loving is not you” demonstrating his ultimate rejection of her.
